Carl Nassib, the first openly gay man to play in a regular season NFL game, announced his retirement on Wednesday.
"Football has given me more than I ever could have imagined," Nassib said on Instagram. " I can truly hang up my helmet for the last time knowing I gave it everything I had."
Nassib played college football at Penn State before he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2016.
He played with the Browns for two seasons before going to Tampa Bay.
Nassib signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. It was on that team Nassib decided to open up publicly about his sexuality for the first time.
"I just think that representation and visibility are so important," he said at the time.
In the days following his announcement, Nassib said his teammates were very supportive of his decision to come out.
Nassib would go on to play two seasons for the Raiders before returning to Tampa.
Over the course of his career, the edge rusher secured 25 sacks and made 186 tackles.
"It was always my dream to play in the NFL, even as a walk-on, and I really feel like the luckiest guy on the planet," Nassib said.
As for what's next, Nassib stated that he will focus on his company Rayze, a social media app that connects people through positivity and promotes "good in the world."
